Pencil holder



29, 1940- G. LuND wsT ET AL I 2,219,596

PENCIL HOLDER Filed Oct. 13, 1958 One of the objects Patented a. 29, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT fornq;

Gustav Lundquist and Steve H. Krisak, SuperionWis. I

Application October 13, 195s, Serial No.2s4,'192

2 Claims. (Cl. 120 108).

This invention relates to pencil holding devices that are particularly adapted for use by children in schools.

Practically every child in school uses a ruler either to draw figures under the teachers instruction or to rule lines on paper for writing or other purposes. Small children frequently have difficulty keeping the ruler stationary while ruling a line along the edge thereof. The ruler ofen twists under pressure of the pencil against its edge and naturally a straight line is not obtained.

of the invention is the provision of a ruler so constructed that it will detachably hold a pencil in substantial longitudinal alignment with the body of the ruler insuch a manner that said ruler can be firmly held by gripping of the pencil and using the pencil as a handle while a line is being ruled along the straightedge.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a ruler construction wherein supporting of a pencil by the ruler not only provides a handle firmly but detachably secures a pencil so that it w'll not roll off of a table or a desk with a slanting top such as is standard in school rooms.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the views, and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my invention with a "pencil in position thereon;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the ruler body.

In the drawing there is shown a ruler body 5 which is preferably relatively thin and fiat and which may be made of relatively flexible yet somewhat rigid rubber, Celluloid, or similar plastic composition. At least one edge of the ruler has a metallic strip 6 extending slightly from said edge to provide a straight edge for ruling purposes. The straight edge 6 may be firmly anchored in the plastic ruler body by means of pins 6a which extend through the inner embedded portion of the straight edge and through the edge of the body itself.

The underside of the ruler body is provided with two or more longitudinal grooves I, said grooves functioning to eliminate or break up any thin stratum of air which might lie between the under surface of the ruler body and the paper it is placed. It is well known that entrapped between two fiat suracts to greatly reduce friction bequite a tendency upon which should air be faces, the air tween the surfaces, and it is for a ruler to slide to some extent on a fiat paper upon which it is placed. While such movement is not, of course, necessarily very great, even a slight amount of shifting of the ruler on the paper will prevent the user from ruling a straight line. If desired, the.number of grooves 1 can be increased. Extending upwardly from the upper surface of the ruler body preferably centrally thereof is a substantially cylindrical element 8 which is formed preferably of relatively rigid but somewhat flexible rubber, and said cylindrical element has a pair of notches 9 out thereby edges which converge upper end of the element 8 until they communicate with a more or less circular portion at the lower end of the notch. The more or less circular portion is adapted to receive a lead pencil of conventional size in such a manner that it will be rigidly gripped and at the same time easily removable due to the flexibility of the upper portion of the rubber composition element 8. It will be noted particularly in Fig. 1 that the two notches are oppositely disposed and that they are in substantial alignment with the longitudinal axis of the ruler body.

From the foregoing description the construction in use of our device is in all probability apparent. By way of further explanation, however, it will be seen that with the element 8 constructed as described even the smallest child in school can easily place a pencil in the pencil holding element merely by pressing it downwardly in alignment with the notches 9 until the pencil is gripped in the rounded portions of said notches. This will hold the pencil in alignment with the ruler body and parallel to its upper surface and provide a handle by which the ruler may be firmly gripped when ruling a line. Furthermore, due to the grooves I on the underside of the ruler body any tendency of the body to slip while ruling a line against the straight edge 6 with pressure thereagainst will be eliminated due to the fact that layers of air will not become entrapped between the bottom of the ruler and the paper upon which it rests. It is an efficient yet simply constructed device which will greatly facilitate the ruling of the lines particularly by smaller children. Of course, the upstanding pencil gripping element 8 can be used without a pencil therein for holding the ruler, but with a pencil held thereby it will be naturally much tion since the the element 8 handle. 5 Furthermore, as was stated above, most school desks have slanting tops and at the upper porsaid tops a pencil groove or ledge is provided. It is a well known fact that school instructors are frequently annoyed, par- 10 ticularly in classes of younger children, by the fact that the children often do not place the peneasier to keep the ruler in posipencil itself in cooperation with provides an extremely stationary 15 against accidental dropping from the des It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement, and proportions of the various parts and the materials from which it is made Without 20 departing from the scope of our invention.

GUSTAV LUNDQUIST. STEVE H. KRISAK. 

